Riding and breaking
by babri
Summary: Is Lou up for a challenge? Maybe not the right day...


All the boys at the Sweetwater station were around the corral, watching four, new, never before ridden horses. A hard job was going to be done, all their behinds almost foreseeing what they were going to do.

Matt was standing near his horse, waiting for his run, with a grin on his face, not envying at all those Teaspoon's boys.

Buck was the first to work on an appaloosa, he lasted over a minute, but then he had to give up. Ike followed and managed to win over the horse, but he was too tired to start with another, a palomino, so Cody had the chance to show his skill, or that was he had in mind, but didn't really work. Jimmy had to finish Billy's work, having this way two down. They were quite tired, only Kid was still fresh to start another breaking, when Lou got back from the ride.

The mochilla was passed to Matt, who yelled at his back before disappearing in the horizon.

"Good luck everybody".

Then Kid jumped on the third horse, fell twice, but then got his job done. There were no more boys for the last horse, the biggest one, black, strong and tall as no other one there.

"Who's up?" Teaspoon grinned looking over his boys.

Lou was dismounting from Lightening, quite similar to the last to break, so Teaspoon tempted, "Lou, why don't you try?"

Lou tried to elude it, "Dunno, quite tired… do I really have to?"

"Come on, just one try" Teaspoon insisted.

Feeling no way out, Lou made her way into the corral, pulled off her glasses and gave them to Buck, while Kid, quite worried, tried to calm down the horse. Lou seemed really small near the stallion, all the boys were a little concerned about her, being aware Lou was a girl, never letting down any action, but evidently being smaller and more delicate then all of them. They all got on their mind the gentle girl in pink they saw when Emma decided to uncover her cards.

She grabbed the saddle and climbed up, silent and concentrated. Kid tried to check her eyes, but she watched straight in front of her.

"Ready?" he asked.

She nodded, tightening her legs as never before, fixing her fist around the pommel, taking the rains with the free hand. The horse, set free and sensing it, started to kick and jump, but Lou seemed glued to the saddle, didn't almost move.

"Sure tight grip with his legs, hasn't he? As I said before, puny but spry" Teaspoon commented.

All the boys started to encourage their bunkmate, only Kid noticed Lou didn't have fun in this ride.

Luckily, the horse was tired before having Lou off its back and started to trot around the corral, but Lou was not indeed showing a single sign of pride for having won that piece of hell.

Sam Caine arrived in that moment, to ask Teaspoon's help in town. Teaspoon took a horse and they galloped away.

All the boys went near Lou, to congratulate on such a deed, but when she dismounted she was quite pale. They thought she was just tired, but she wasn't smiling at all, rather concerned. They all moved toward the bunkhouse, while Lou went to the stable, to tend Lightening. Emma called everybody to dinner, but Lou hadn't yet made her way out of the stable.

Kid and Buck went to look after her and they found her on the ground, not really fainted, but weak and aching. They called Emma, who asked what she had been doing after her ride. Kid answered she had broken a horse, a tough one.

Emma, shaking her head, said: "Take this mad-head into the house, please, thanks God Mr. Spoon is not here".

She ran forward, to prepare a hot water pot.

"You know you shouldn't even think about doing such a stupid thing, riding is enough these days, ain't it?" she asked Lou.

The female rider wasn't able to answer for the pain, she had her arms around her waist, pleading to faint to stop all that, but she was strong enough to bear it. All the boys had reached their fellows. Kid was troubled and Emma saw it.

"What's wrong with her, Emma?" Kid asked.

"Just the wrong days to tire out, being her a girl" she backed.

"What do you mean?" an always curious Billy asked.

"You are grown enough to know this, I suppose. You know something about how babies come, don't you?" she started grinning.

All the boys blushed, but curiosity was strong in Cody.

"So? Isn't Lou expecting, is she?"

"Oh Cody, of course she is not, and the way she is feeling is the right proof of that… oh my," Emma laughed,

"I think you need a short lesson about it… all sit down and listen… you know, a man can make babies almost whenever he wants, but women are a little bit more complicated… when they approach the age they are ready to bear babies they start to bleed about once a month for some days… didn't you know that?"

"What… why? Is Lou bleeding right now? Why don't we take her to the doctor?" Cody asked.

"Well, no doctor can do anything, she's not hurt, our body just works this way, Cody, there's nothing wrong with her, she just asked a little far too much to herself and now her body makes her pay back for that… that's it."

"Could you stop this chatting over me as I wasn't here?" an aching, but also irritated Lou came in.

Kid ran at her side, helping her to sit.

"Now, Lou, come with me, then you'll drink something hot, your pain should diminish this way" Emma ordered.

Lou limped with an evident effort, resting on Emma's arm, her face contracted grimacing in pain. All the boys were astonished. When the two women were back they noticed how much pale Lou looked.

"Now, boys, you have to help me to hide this from Teaspoon, since I don't know if she can be better for tomorrow, but anyway she can't be overdoing like today, or she will be again this way, and Lou, you should try to keep yourself busy in the stable, so you will be able to rest if you need, ok? Now, drink this, then you have to eat something, you lost really a lot of blood" Emma instructed.

Lou was too weak to answer and simply nodded, quiet and obedient.

"Come on, she's not going to die, she's used to it, I just can't see why she wanted to break a horse" Emma added, seeing the worried faces around her.

"Teaspoon made her do it" Kid answered.

"And she stood tight on the saddle like no-one of us managed to do" Jimmy added.

"She had to do it, not to suffer too much, but she tired herself out doing this effort, I bet she won't try to break horses anymore".

"Easy to win, you can almost be sure about it, Emma, I really don't see why you boys have so much fun in it" Lou tried to joke.

She forced herself to eat, knowing she needed it, but then she forthwith sneaked in her bunk, falling rather soon to sleep. Kid watched her for a while, starting when Jimmy's hand grabbed his shoulder.

"She'll be fine, Emma is sure about it".

"I know that, but… it's just I've never seen her so fragile, maybe I sometime forget she's not a boy" Kid said.

"I can't believe you, my friend, I saw the way you always look at Lou, maybe you can forget she's not as tall or strong as us, but not that she's a girl, a beautiful girl, but in addition she's able to ride hard, shoot straight, even punch down as any of us. Goodnight, Kid".

"Thanks, Jimmy… hey, you really think what you said?" Kid asked.

"She'll be fine."

"No, I mean, she being…"

"Beautiful as a girl and tough as a boy? Sure, and I'll tell you, you're a lucky guy, I just hope you know it. 'night."

Kid turned his back to the rider and softly touched Lou's hand, saying "Goodnight, Lou", and then he laid on his bunk.

The next day Lou was much better and Teaspoon, back at night, never suspected any of what happened at the station while he was away. Lou and Kid tended the horses and the tacks. His eyes often checked on her, while she was trying not to overdo but also not to do too little, since she didn't want Kid to think she was easily growing weary.

Three days later Lou was again up to ride and she was ready when Kid reached her in the stable.

"Want me to take your ride?" he asked.

She looked deeply into his eyes.

"No, why?" she asked.

"Maybe you need some more time to rest and get well."

"I'm already fine, don't worry, maybe it could sound strange to you, but I'm used to it… remember, I'm a girl, Kid… thank you the same, kind of you to think about it, but I'm alright, see you" she said climbing on the horse and moving outside to meet the coming rider.

"Ride safe!" he yelled.

When she was back the boys were again around the corral, trying to break once more the horses, since two of them didn't seem really defeated.

Teaspoon called Lou out another time, this time having her grinning, jumping with more enthusiasm on the saddle, tightening herself, like the first time, but not worried, more curious indeed.

The horse was left free and kicked back and bucked, but she stood, letting herself jumping more that the first time.

All the boys breathed with relief seeing her eyes bright and smiling. She finally won the horse, which stopped.

She was getting down when Cody whistled to compliment her good job, though this way startling the horse, making Lou jump out of the saddle and Kid and Jimmy luckily catching a flying Lou. They were worried, but she was laughing.

"Ok, it's quite funny, now I see why you like it," she said, making Jimmy ruffle her hair while Kid got her hat.

"Dinner's ready", Emma called.


End file.
